🔷 Focal Elegia

Audiophonic · September 2, 2020, 1:27am

Ok, so open back is next then. Curious to see what the Elegia sound like when I add the Loki to the chain and can pump the lows a little more.
So which $1.5k balanced amps should I be looking into? I can use one of the desktop setups at my reading nook and keep the other at my desk.

M0N · September 2, 2020, 1:30am

Hmmm so for a clear and elegia, if you want to give them a bit of warmth but keep them pretty neutral, but also add some more width, impact, the violectric v280 or v281 is pretty great imo. If you want something a bit brighter and more analytical leaning but still natural sounding and a bit sweeter the gsx mini is a great choice imo.

The elegia tend to eq well, so that’s good. Also as they burn in bass will get better, also make sure you don’t wear any glasses or something like that since they are seal sensitive

Audiophonic · September 2, 2020, 2:05am

Got it. No glasses needed here. Heard of the Violectric V281 before and had it bookmarked. Will keep an eye out for a deal on either. Now to see if these Dekoni elite sheepskin pads make a difference on the DT 1770 Pro.

Towa · September 2, 2020, 2:31am

Can confirm that the Focal Clear (and Elegia by association) have amazing synergy with the Vio Stuff, namely the V281/280.

Hazi59 · September 2, 2020, 2:32am

Sounds good on my Violectric V200 as well.

Lalawil · September 5, 2020, 12:15am

Has anyone here tried the dekoni sheepskin pads and had good experience with them on the elegia?

ssjdrn · September 5, 2020, 1:37am

I’ve tried them. They warm up the Elegias slightly but also close down the soundstage a little. They’re very listenable, but I tend to prefer the stock pads with a bit of EQ.

Rick_Jones · September 7, 2020, 4:40am

Well… this headphone is gonna be a pass for me. Sending it back. To many times I found myself turning the volume down due to the treble. And as some have mentioned the low-end can either be hit or miss depending on the song. It probably does not help that I do wear glasses. However I did try these using these with the iFI Zen Can and using the Xbass feature, it did help on a few songs. I wanted to like them, they look great and are comfortable, but I must bid them a farewell…

Lalawil · September 7, 2020, 5:31am

Fair enough, I’m using a forwarding service to get these bad boys over to where I live, so sending back is not really an option (will cost like 25 pct of the headphones themselves). I really hope with a bit of burn in and the bass boost on the q5s solves the issue

fabiokelm · September 7, 2020, 6:31pm

I’m on the same boat. But I do believe if they are not for the taste, it’s possible to sell these and get back at least a part of what you spend, especially through here and AVExchange.

Saturite · September 16, 2020, 11:07pm

I just got a pair of elegia’s in today and I’m kinda disappointed with the build. I was under the impression these had solid-feeling metal yokes and the silver earcup peace was also nice machined aluminum but everything feels kinda cheap. Are the clear and elex better built?

Jose_G · September 16, 2020, 11:10pm

Elex are. Elegia are plastic in the cups but the elex have metal(or aluminum, point is dosent feel as cheap)

donjklassen · September 16, 2020, 11:24pm

Clears also have metal mesh backed cups. I forget if the yokes are metal though. I have a feeling they are.

Elegias feel pretty solid to me too however.

Towa · September 16, 2020, 11:27pm

yes clears have metal yokes. I thought the Elegia build quality was fine myself, well built enough that I mostly used them on the go and out of the house when i owned them. If the cups were made out of a metal I think they would have probably been a lot heavier as a result.

Saturite · September 16, 2020, 11:35pm

I mean they certainly don’t feel like some dirt cheap crap, just a little less robust than I was expecting. The plastic earcups I can easily forgive for weight but the yokes still feel cheap for what was a $900 headphone at launch. I’m sure it will be fine in the long run though. Appreciate your thoughts guys.

Lalawil · September 16, 2020, 11:47pm

If Im not mistaken, apart from the ear pads and the color, the Stellia and the elegia are fairly similar in the build itself, meaning plastic in the cups as well. I thought the Elegia build quality is fine for me but i hear you , would be nice if they’d use some sort of light weight metal instead.

A_Jedi · September 17, 2020, 3:55am

I really don’t understand why everyone doesn’t make everything out of carbon fiber. Strong, light and, It’s not even expensive.

Pelontar · September 21, 2020, 3:01pm

Hmm. €530 for an open box… I never expected such a good deal in Europe as the Adorama sale, but this isn’t too far off. Really tempted

I did have my eye more on the Aeon 2 Closed for “transportable” work use, but the difference is over €300.

donjklassen · September 21, 2020, 4:24pm

Pretty sweet price for the Elegia

I was going back and forth between these two as well and decided to purchase an Elegia (again lol) because of the power required to drive the a2c. I wasn’t aware of that but maybe it’ll factor into your decision as well. good luck.

Pelontar · September 21, 2020, 5:33pm

And it’s gone. Maybe next time… If it gets restocked, it would be €630 new, which is still €300 less than the a2c.

Good point. It seems like the Elegia works fine with the hip dac (if it doesn’t with my R3 Pro), whereas the XD-05+ or ifi micro BL tend to be recommended for the a2c. So that’s like €1200-1500 vs €800, going by the new prices… but I really like how compact the a2c is. Then again, adding the xd05+ or ifi micro would make it less compact.

I think I’ll jump on the Elegia if it comes back in stock at that price. If not, I’ll wait around a bit. I’m not in a hurry for either headphone anyway.